Little Fighter
by Samwise Baggins
Summary: Yusuke's last battle... or is it?
1. Decisions

Title: Decisions

Authors: Sam  
Series: Little Fighter 1 of ?

Rating: PG-13; violence  
Characters: Koenma, Blue Ogre, Yusuke

Summary: Yusuke's last battle... or is it?

Category: Supernatural, Angst

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is a trademark of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV, Studio Perriot, Media Blasters, and Central Park Media. I am in no way connected with these people, and I do not claim ownership to these characters, lands, or names. I have borrowed them to share a story... and most likely not a story Yoshihiro Togashi would have written, had he had the time or no. I am making no money from this, and it is just for my entertainment, and that of free entertainment to a select group of friends. Thank You.

Distribution: Please ask first?

Setting: Spirit World and Earth

Song Note: This story was unspired by the song _Little Fighter_ by **White Lion**. I have the lyrics available if requested.

Feedback: Please? I love comments.

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Lord Koenma frowned at the large video screen in his office. He was busily sucking on his pacifier, his knuckles white as he clutched the edge of his desk. If someone chose, he could have removed the chair the prince stood on and probably not even caused a flicker in the god's wide brown eyes: Lord Koenma was too absorbed in what he watched. No one, however, was willing to disturb the administrator of the Spirit World.

Worried, the toddler-sized ruler moaned as the video progressed before him. He shook his head, wondering just how this had come about. A shudder wracked his small frame as he sucked harder on the pacifier. It was hard to watch such things, but the prince found it equally hard to pull his attention away. Soon, he would have to act... but the chain reaction his actions would cause could affect countless lives, all for the sake of one human.

-----

Panting, the sixteen-year-old landed in a crouching position. He slammed one battered fist on the concrete and snapped his head up, glaring at his opponent. With a primal growl, Yusuke Uremeshi launched himself towards the large beast, hands outstretched, legs spread as counter-balance. Practically at the last moment, he balled one fist and swung it hard, connecting with flesh and bone. A satisfied grunt escaped the teen as he curled into a ball, his body also slamming into the beast he so desperately fought. The resulting larger connection threw Yusuke to the ground with bone-breaking force.

Not even a groan escaped the bruised and bleeding teenager. He merely rolled to his hands and knees, a wide grin splitting his swollen lips. Anticipating the coming blow from his opponent's huge fist, Yusuke pushed off, muscles straining, and hurtled backwards through the air. The beast howled, voice echoing a thunder of rage at his seemingly minute prey, but even the size and sheer will of the creature didn't deter the Spirit Detective.

His grin widened.

Yusuke brought his left hand up to brace his right wrist. The move was as familiar as breath itself to the young fighter. His eyes seemed to glow ever slightly as the tip of his right index finger started its own eerie glow. Channeling his vast spiritual energy, Yusuke prepared for a killing blow, little realizing how easily this battle could and would turn on him.

-----

A gasp echoed around the office as Lord Koenma's eyes widened in equal reaction. At least five ogres of varying size and color stood around him, holding the articles of administrative work, though all work had been forgotten at the start of the video. The largest ogre, with a dashing horn set in the middle of his forehead, groaned in unison with his master. Another gasp echoed as most of the ogres winced. Simultaneously, the paper's slid from the Blue Ogre's hands as the pacifier dropped from the prince's mouth.

"No!" it was barely a whisper though filled with anguish none-the-less. The ruler slowly let himself slide into his over-sized chair, eyes still riveted to the scene, seeming to not register the fact that the fight was over. But he saw, he knew, and this meant something far more than the end of another employee for the young ruler. It meant the end of a close friend.

The blue ogre whirled, eyes filling with tears, which quickly over-flowed down his face. "Sir! We... we can't... that..."

Koenma slowly lifted pain-filled eyes, his near-blank stare scaring his faithful servant more than the sight of the Spirit Detective's last battle. "Oh, Sir!" He sobbed, sniffling to try to bring his tears under control, moving to be closer to his master. He didn't' dare touch the young god, but he didn't dare leave him to work this out on his own, either. "Lord Koenma, sir..." He gulped, then turned and hissed at the other Ogres, "get out! Leave his highness alone!'

They didn't argue with the other servant, high-tailing it out, paperwork and all.

Turning back to the toddler-sized god behind the desk, the blue ogre hesitantly touched his small shoulder. "Sir... you could always... uh... try..."

With a small sob, Lord Koenma turned his face up to his servant once more. He blinked watering brown eyes once before turning them back onto the vertically-flipping screen. 'No, Blue Ogre, what you suggest would break all of the rules of Spirit World. I, I cannot possibly..." But his tiny hand reached for the hidden drawer in his desk. Even as he verbally denied the validity of the idea, he flipped the latch and let the drawer slide open. Almost unaware, the child-like rule put his hand in the drawer and pulled out a black seal, his hand shaking as he moved it towards the paper in front of him.

With a final shudder, Koenma pulled his eyes from the screen and stared at the single paper in front of him. He didn't look up as Blue Ogre gasped upon recognizing that most private, and forbidden, seal. Instead, grinding his teeth, the boy stood on his chair and slammed the seal decisively down on the page.

The sound seemed to echo across the Spirit World and into the eons.

Continued in Chapter Two: Consequences


	2. Consequences

Title: Consequences

Series: Little Fighter 2 ?

Rating: PG-13; Violence, Language  
Characters: Yusuke, Koenma, Blue Ogre, King Yama, Shizuru, Kuwabara

Chapter Summary: The Black Seal has done something unexpected for Yusuke Uremeshi.

* * *

Yusuke stood panting, more surprised than he'd been ever before, even after he'd died at the age of fourteen. There was his enemy, dead at his feet. Killed by the Spirit Gun blast he'd used. Here he was, totally unharmed... feeling more alive than he'd normally feel after such a battle. And the end of the battle still confused him.

What had happened? He'd been fighting, angry, and all together having fun. The creature had seemed to rip right through the Spirit Energy and aim directly for his torso. In fact, Yusuke could even remember feeling the beast's claws tearing through flesh and bone.

Shock filled the young man and he started patting himself down. Torn clothing, covered in blood attested to the fact that he'd been ripped open. But there was no injury on his body, no pain at all. Desperately looking around, Yusuke Uremeshi tried to see if either his dead corpse lie there or Botan had come for him again. He saw neither.

He looked down at himself, moving bits of torn cloth away, but discovered no sign of injury. He wasn't dead, or even hurt, and he certainly wasn't floating about as a ghost. The Spirit Detective frowned, trying to puzzle out how he'd managed to come away from that last attack.

Slowly, he became aware of something else, however. His Spirit Energy was drained. It was as if he'd been hit head on by his own blast. Instead of killing him, it drained him. That was odd... it'd never happened before.

The teen squatted down to flip over the large beast, putting great energy into the effort and discovering he was more tired than he'd thought. There, across the chest and pelvis of the great monster, were horrendous slash marks. The demon had been cut severely, internal organs leaking out in a destroyed mush.

"Whoa!" Yusuke jumped back, heart hammering and eyes wide. "What the hell?"

The monster before him had been torn open by his own claws!

The Blue Ogre stared at the screen in shock. It couldn't be! He slowly turned, as if the entire world were moving in slow motion, to verify that Lord Koenma had, indeed, used that forbidden black seal. It was there, resting on the file in front of the toddler-sized ruler.

The look on the prince's face told an even greater tale. He'd broken the laws. Not the rules, the laws. He'd used the _Seal of the Soul_, and he knew he'd pay for it very shortly.

As if in response to some inner signal, the prince stiffened in his chair as the door to his private office burst open. There stood his father, King Yama, ruler of the Spirit World. He didn't say a word, merely taking in the sight of his son and the ogre along with that black seal. Finally, when the tension was at its highest, Prince Koenma cringed as his father's voice broke the silence.

"What have you done." Yama's tone was serious, sad, and very controlled. It was apparent he was angry by the spark in his eyes. But he didn't appear angry in any other way. He sounded more... disappointed... than anything else.

Blue Ogre cringed as much as his young master.

Stepping slowly through the large office, the mighty King of the Spirit World seemed to dwarf his surroundings. He stopped right in front of his only child and reached out to grasp that most forbidden of seals. Lifting it, he could see the black mark it had left on the file, sealing the fate of the human it belonged to. "Who was it, Junior?"

Koenma looked up at his father, so very small in his over-sized chair. He gulped, started absently feeling around for his dropped pacifier, and froze after only a moment. Finally, eyes locked with his sire's, he whispered "the Spirit Detective, sir."

Yusuke had given up trying to puzzle out how he'd switched injuries with his enemy. He'd ask Botan when he saw her next time. For the moment, he merely wanted to be around his friends. It was terrifying to know he'd nearly died again, even though it seemed that it was starting to become a habit.

Grinning cockily at the nineteen-year-old woman who answered the door, the Spirit Detective merely walked in, without even asking permission. Shizuru let him, gesturing with her cigarette towards her little brother's room. "He's in the shower, but you can wait in there if you want."

With a nod, Yusuke walked into the now familiar room of his best friend, Kazuma Kuwabara. Figuring he'd have time to kill, the sixteen-year-old flung himself onto the bed and flicked on the television. It was an odd sort of old Fifties show, and soon the teen was dozing peacefully.

The halls were dark, the palace quite silent. All of the servants and ogres had been sent home for the night. King Yama, himself, was in bed. In fact, not a soul was around... except one.

With a sigh, the prince placed the last favored personal item into the duffel bag. He reached up to flip his brown hair from lighter brown eyes. Rather than the spoiled, immature toddler he used to be, Koenma was now a troubled sixteen-year-old. It was a transformation, which normally left him quite drained. This time, his father had changed him.

Right before he'd left without explanations to his only child.

Koenma didn't need explanations. He knew what was happening, and why. He'd been well versed in the laws of Spirit World during the first centuries of his life. He'd also been drilled in the repercussions of ignoring or disobeying these strict laws. Spirit World administration had been the young prince's entire life.

With a sigh, the teenaged prince shut his bag and slung it over a shoulder. He pushed back his hair once more, feeling odd. He wasn't in his normal appearance, his normal clothes, or anything familiar. Even the pacifier he cherished so much was taken from him. There was no one to cater to him, to guide or aid him. Now, the young prince was on his own. Even Blue Ogre had been sent home early.

Koenma shook his head and headed out the door of the darkened office. His slow footsteps echoed in the overly quiet building. Shadows danced around him, making him wonder if he were possibly afraid of the dark after centuries of having well lit rooms and numerous servants around him. He pushed that thought away, determined to handle the consequence of his decision like the teenager his father had suddenly forced him to become. He wouldn't be a baby any more.

"Move over, Uremeshi."

The deep voice of Kazuma Kuwabara awoke the sleeping sixteen-year-old. He looked up at his extremely large red-haired friend. With a grunt, he shifted so the other teen could sit on the bed and put his socks on.

"What are you doing here, any way? I thought you had that..." Suddenly, the mundane complaint stopped as Kazuma became aware of his friend's state of disarray. He whistled low and reached out to finger the bloody shreds of Yusuke's clothes. "Hey, Sis didn't mention you'd been hurt." There was genuine worry in the bigger teen's voice.

Yusuke shrugged and grinned a bit. "Nope. I'm not hurt. Just my favorite outfit." He sat up completely, stretching from his nap. Flicking his gaze over to the television set, the Spirit Detective frowned. "But I shoulda been dead."

Kazuma stiffened and stopped again with his sock chore. "Dead? Yeah, by the looks of it. So, what happened? Or ain't you allowed to tell me?" He was still upset that he'd been forbidden to go along on Yusuke's most recent mission.

With a yawn, the dark-haired teen stood and started restlessly prowling the room. "I found the guy, blasted him with my Spirit Gun, and woke up alive. He was dead with claw marks all over him, but I wasn't hurt at all." He turned, seeing if any of that had sunk through his friend's normally slow brain.

For once, the other teen didn't disappoint. In fact, he eerily seemed to know exactly what Yusuke was talking about. With a slow nod, eyes narrowed in concentration, Kazuma slowly said, "Yeah. I had a dream that would happen. But I thought it wasn't one of _those_ dreams because it ended funny."

The Spirit Detective straightened noticeably. "Oh?" He leaned forward and nearly whispered, "In your dream, did Lord Koenma get kicked out?"

The redhead blinked in wonder, meeting his brunette friend's eyes. "Uh... yeah. He was fired and sent to live somewhere else. But I can't remember where, and I sure don't know why."

Yusuke stood and nodded, knowingly. "He was fired because he saved my life. Again."

Continued in Chapter Three: Repercussions


	3. Repercussions

Title: Repercussions

Series: Little Fighter 3 ?

Rating: PG-13; Violence, Language  
Characters: Kuwabara, Yusuke, Shizuru, Koenma, Botan, Kurama

Chapter Summary: Koenma has broken the law of Spirit World. Can he live with the punishment?

Note: And you thought this story was about Yusuke? Ha!

* * *

"Hey!" Kazuma Kuwabara turned to his best friend with a frown. "How'd you know I dreamed Lord Koenma was fired?"

Yusuke Uremeshi sighed. "I dreamed the same thing just a minute ago."

Both sixteen-year-olds stared at each other in silence. They seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as well. If both of them had dreamt about the toddler-sized ruler, then could that dream truly have happened? Yusuke was, after all, living proof of something miraculous happening.

"Lord Koenma. That's the brown-haired boy with the pacifier, right?"

Jumping, the boys turned towards the door and Kazuma gasped. He shot into his open closet, moaning about lack of privacy. The darker haired teen merely nodded at his friend's older sister, Shizuru. "Yeah, the runt."

She took a drag on her cigarette and shrugged one shoulder, ignoring her brother's protests. Leaning against the doorjamb, the nineteen-year-old thoughtfully looked towards the ceiling. "You said he got fired? What'd he do?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly sure. I was fighting and next thing I know, I'm still standing and the demon's not. He's got my injuries, too. The only guy with that kind of power has to be Koenma." Yusuke shrugged. "Think he must've saved my life without going through the right channels."

Slowly blowing out smoke, the woman considered what she'd been told. Just as slowly, she moved into the room towards her brother's window, staring blindly out. She ponderd what kind of thing the prince may have done to Yusuke. After several long moments of complete quiet, she turned to the boys.

Kazuma had finished dressing in his closet and now slipped out, frowning at his sister. He crossed his arms, frowning at the older Kuwabara sibling. Her words made the frown deepen, but for other reasons than an invasion of privacy.

"What happens when a spirit ruler gets fired?"

The streets were well lit, the crowds boisterous. Alone, the sixteen-year-old walked, a single duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Arriving at the train station, he paid his fare and borded the next green-train to show. Sitting in a corner seat, away from the other passengers, he stared out the window at the fast moving scenery.

As time wended on, the train emptied of the usual weekend rush until there were few night travelers. The teen was alone in his car, still staring out the window, lost in thoughts only he knew of. His duffle bag sat at his feet, apparently forgotten as he rode the train back and forth between the ends of the line. He seemed uncaring that he hadn't reached his destination, or had passed it by repeatedly.

Finally, as the train was on its last run of the night, one of the connecting doors slid back. A blue-haired woman looked in and sighed, relief and sadnes flashing across her face. She walked in, her pink kimono whispering around her feet as she moved. When she stood in front of the teen, she drew a deep breath and put on a cheery smile. "Well, I finally found you Lo... uh... Koenma.

The teenager look up and sighed. Shifting a bit so the woman could sit, he nodded politely. "Hello, Botan."

"I finally caught up to you. Why didn't you wait for me to bring you down?" Botan, pilot of the River Styx, frowned, letting the fake cheer fall away. "I was on my way as soon as I heard."

Koenma looked at her, his brown eyes sad. "I decided to rely on myself." He looked back towars the window, his reflection sadder than the look he'd turned to his old friend.

Trying not to show the sudden tears she felt at Koenma's sadness, Botan swallowed. "You don't have anywhere to go, Lo... Koenma." She mentally berated herself for slipping up and nearly using his former title. Especially as he flinched every time he heard it. "What will you do? Do you have money?"

"Father provided enough funds for some days, if I use them wisely."

Botan winced. _As if you know how to spend money wisely. You've always been a rich, pampered prince. Oh, dear._ Determined not to give her thoughts away, the woman nodded. "Hotels are expensive, Koenma."

The brown-haired teen nodded, without reply. He remained looking out the window as the train rolled on. It was a long moment before he looked up at his still standing companion. As the former prince opened his mouth to speak, he suddenly closed it and glanced around attentively. "Something's wrong."

"What?" Immediately Botan was on alert as well. She'd rarely spent time on trains, especially this late at night, and had no idea what her friend was speaking of. She glanced around fearfully.

Standing, Koenma turned towards the front of the train, leaning over a seat. He had his hand braced on the seat back and was trying to glimpse outside. "The vibration's off. I've been on this train for hours. I can feel the changes. Something is wrong with the train."

Botan stiffened. Shaking her head, she made an oar appear out of thin air. After all, she was spirit at the moment, and had access to numerous abilities normally not seen. "I'll check it out, Sir." With that, she flew right through the doorway and out of sight of mere mortals.

It had been hours and Yusuke hadn't been able to puzzle out what the Administrator of the Spirit World could be up to. He'd had no contact, not advise or demands at all from the pint-sized ruler. Normally if he pulled this kind of stunt, there were all kinds of payments and such to be made... and Yusuke wound up doing the paying.

His mother was out partying, and Kazuma's parent's were on some sort of rampage. Thus, Yusuke'd been wandering the streets alone, waiting for the shoe to drop. Still nothing, and it was driving him nuts. Damn, even Botan seemed to be avoiding him, and she was his assistant.

With a growl of annoyance, the Spirit Detective kicked at thin air, stopping before an apartment building that catered to the higher middle-class. He growled again and turned to go walking back home, wondering if he'd feel better if he went bothering his girlfriend or something. The flash of a television in one of the windows caught his eye.

Moving closer to the window, unthinking of the fact that he resembled a peeping-tom, Yusuke tried to clearly see what had attracted his attention. He wasn't sure what it was he'd seen. A train wreck quite close, but that shouldn't have made him stop. There! "What the hell? That's Koenma!"

It was true. There on the screen were many rescuers and victims. It had been a brief flash, the camera panning over some of the victims still trapped in the twisted metal. But there was a victim who sure looked like Lord Koenma's teenaged form, unconscious, bleeding, and trapped in the ruins.

"No wonder the freak hasn't come for me. What the hell was he doing on a stupid train?" Glancing around quickly, the dark-haired teen became aware of just which apartment building he was standing in front of. Desperately, he ran over to the door and hurried inside, intent on getting one of the residents, even if it was out of a sound sleep.

A loud knocking immediately pulled Kurama out of a sound sleep. The sound would wake his mother, as well, and she needed her sleep for work. Quickly, the red-haired seventeen-year-old headed quietly to the apartment door and opened it, knowing by the Spirit Energy who stood on the other side. He slipped into the hall and whispered, "What is it, Yusuke?"

"Turn on the TV, Kurama. I wanna see if it's really him." He pushed past his friend and headed right for the living room.

The human boy, who housed a very old fox demon in his soul, followed with a frown. "Try not to wake up mother, Yusuke." He was relieved to see his friend turn the sound down as the news came on.

The relief fled as he saw the devestation of the train wreck on the screen. "What happened?" He stood behind the younger teen. With a shocked intaked of breath, Kurama's hand came to rest on Yusuke's shoulder. "Lord Koenma?"

Yusuke nodded, frowning. "Yeah, they keep panning the crash, and I thought I'd seen him. That's Koenma all right. Wonder why he was there." He looked up at the redhead.

With a shake of his head, Kurama headed for the door, ignoring the fact that he was only in pajama bottoms, and nothing else. "Let's go get him. He'll need help; his head looks injured."

The pair ran from the apartment, Kurama grabbing and dialing on a cellphone as they went.

Continued in Chapter Four: ---when written---


End file.
